Pottsville's Brandon Bridy scores on a layup for two of his game-high 18 points during Friday's boys' final.

First, there was a soft jumper from just inside the foul line. Nothing but net.

Then came a steal and a coast-to-coast drive for a layup. Up and in.

Late in the first quarter, a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Swish.

A spin move for a bucket ... another spin move to a hook shot. Both good.

Finally, a driving, off-balance, fall-away shot from the right wing with two defenders in his face that kissed off the glass and went in.

If Friday's Schuylkill League boys' basketball championship game was a game of H-O-R-S-E, Pottsville's Brandon Bridy would have had Mahanoy Area saddled up by the middle of the second quarter.

The Crimson Tide senior put on an impressive offensive display in the first half at Martz Hall, scoring 13 of his game-high 18 points to propel Pottsville to a 35-21 victory over the Golden Bears.

The scoring outburst helped the Tide to a 23-9 halftime lead as Pottsville captured its fourth straight Schuylkill League boys'

crown. The victory, coupled with Bangor's 51-47 OT win over Wilson in the Colonial League final, gives the Tide the top seed in the upcoming District 11 Class AAA playoffs.

"I try to score a variety of ways," Bridy said. "Turn to the basket and shoot. Have confidence when you shoot.

"Some of those acrobatic shots ... I don't know what to say about them. I just threw them up and they went in."

Bridy's outburst in the first half was the only offensive highlight on a night where both defenses were dominant. Nine of Bridy's 13 first-half points came during a 15-2 Pottsville run that put the Crimson Tide ahead for good.

"We got out to a strong start, and that's what we wanted to do," Bridy said. "Mahanoy is a great team, a great defensive team. That 13-point run really helped us get momentum going into the second half."

Bridy shot 6-for-9 from the field in the first half as Pottsville shot 10-for-21 (48 percent). Mahanoy Area made some defensive adjustments in the second half, holding Pottsville to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting (27 percent).

Bridy's first-half outburst was too much to overcome, however. He also delivered when it counted in the second half, nailing a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter that pushed the Tide's lead to 29-16.

"We didn't realize until too late in the first half that we couldn't let Bridy 1-on-1 down low," Mahanoy Area coach Mickey Holland said. "We didn't have anybody that could guard him down in the post. Tyler (Cavenas) didn't realize until too late that he had to double. In the second half, we doubled down on him in the post and then jumped out on their shooters."

What makes Bridy so hard to defend is his versatility. At 6-foot-1, he's quick and smooth enough to play point guard and shooting guard, but also big enough to play down low.

In Pottsville's motion offense he does a little bit of everything, making it hard for opposing defenses to contain him.

"Brandon was responsible for a lot of our offense in the first half," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "Like he's done all year, he can score in a variety of ways, whether it's on the break, in the post or on the perimeter.

"When you have a guy like that, you know you're going to get points from him and he's going to be consistent night in and night out. Something is always going to be working for him.

"That was the case tonight. He scored in a variety of ways, where a lot of players aren't able to do that."

As Bridy strode to the foul line late in the fourth quarter, the large Pottsville student section started chanting, "MVP, MVP."

Friday, it was very fitting.

"Yeah, I heard it. It's cool, it's awesome," Bridy said. "I just try to embrace it, don't try to get a big head about it. Just move on to the next play."

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